Typically, when those words appear together, the reference is to some cinematic salvage effort: a Martin Scorsese campaign to rescue and restore a forgotten gem or the Library of Congress' annual selection of movies worth archiving in its National Film Registry.

But Memphis Heritage's new "Preservation Film Series" doesn't fit that expectation. It is, in fact, a mini-film festival devoted to movies about preservation issues, as one might expect from Memphis Heritage, the nonprofit group that formed in 1975 to — according to its mission statement — "save, improve, reuse, and maintain architecturally and historically significant buildings, neighborhoods, parks, and cultural artifacts" in Shelby County.

The film program, which begins Monday, is this year's twist on Memphis Heritage's annual "Preservation Series," usually devoted to talks and seminars. Films will be screened at 7 p.m. each Monday inside Memphis Heritage headquarters at Howard Hall, 2282 Madison. Drinks and popcorn will be provided, and each film will be introduced by a person with special knowledge of the subject matter, who also will lead a discussion after the movie.

"If this is successful, we may do some other movies that fit our mission of educating the community about the importance of historic preservation," said June West, executive director of Memphis Heritage for the past 20 years.

The movie series was the idea of local architect and Memphis Heritage board member John Griffin, who had attended the annual Architecture & Design Film Festival in New Orleans. West approved because "for me, when we watch a film, we often walk away feeling optimistic about moving forward, or feeling that our emotions have been touched. We don't feel like we've been lectured to."

Tickets to the film series sell as a package for $75 (or $50, for Memphis Heritage members). Here's the lineup:

March 5 — "Citizen Jane: Battle for the City" (2016). Matt Tyrnauer's documentary examines "urban activist" Jane Jacobs' fight to preserve historic New York during the ruthless redevelopment era of the 1960s; actress Marisa Tomei provides narration as the voice of the late Jacobs, author of the influential 1961 book "The Death and Life of Great American Cities." West will host the screening, and lead a post-movie discussion about preservation's role in urban planning.

Historic images of Memphis' past highlight "Overton Park: A Century of Change."(Photo: Archive)

March 12 — "The Fabulous Fox" (1998) followed by "The Legend Lives On: Atlanta's Fox Theatre" (2016). These back-to-back documentaries provide case studies of two Fox movie palaces, one demolished and one restored and repurposed. Local theater and movie house historian Hillsman Wright will lead the post-film discussion.

March 19 — "Treasures of New York: The Landmarks Preservation Movement" (2015). Local historian Charlie Lambert hosts this documentary look at the daunting wide-scale preservation efforts of the New York commission designated with overseeing the metropolis' thousands of culturally and historically significant sites.

March 26 — "Overton Park: A Century of Change" (2001). Filmmaker Willy Bearden will present this screening of his documentary — produced for WKNO-TV's "Memphis Memoirs" series — about the history and sometimes controversial evolution of Memphis' central public park.